Band: One Man Army And The Undead Quartet
Title: The Dark Epic…
Label: Massacre Records
Distribution: Suburban
Release date: February 25th 2011
Review: CD

In 2004, after he left The Crown, Johan Lindstrand started One Man Army And The Undead Quartet, one if the most tempting monikers ever, probably. Originally, this project was meant to be a Death / Thrash solo-project. Soon however, the project evolved into a band, after Johan recruited his Impious-colleague Valle Adzic (who left in mean time) amongst some others.
Throughout the past years, OMAATUQ released two EP’s (When Hatred Comes To Life - in fact it was the 2005-demo - and Christmas For The Lobotomizer-2006) and three full lengths (21st Century Killing Machine, Nuclear Blast 2006, Error In Evolution, NB 2007, and Grim Tales, the 2008-Massacre debut), and the band played live on stage with bands as Children Of Bodom, Amorphis, Hypocrisy, Unleashed etc.

Last year, the band re-entered the famous Black Lounge Studio with Jonas Kjellgren (known for his studio work with bands as TorchBearer, Rimfrost, Altered Aeon, Facebreaker, In Mourning amongst many others) behind the desk again.
My opinion is that this band has ever grown. Each album was stronger, more mature and more professional then the former one, and Grim Tales used to be one of my favourite Death Metal albums in 2008. What about The Dark Epic …?

Nearly fifty minutes of ultra-power, that’s what The Dark Epic stands for. In contradiction to the former album, this one is thrashier again, somewhat in the vein of both Nuclear Blast-releases, yet still with the most firm and brutalised Death Metal basement. Another difference with the former album, or the former albums, is the atmosphere. Not ever OMAATUQ did sound as sinister and obscure. No sarcasm this time, yet the purest doom and desperation.
In the vein of the former album, this recording is rather straight-forward, lacking of experimental progression, yet without losing any technical excellence. Twists, hooks and breaks, differentiation in tempo, rhythm and melody, all well structured (and played), however without foolishly dwelling into stupid, sometimes pathetic, modern constructions over an over-produced load on infantile additions.
Nice to hear is the cohesion between the members – rather strange because the band’s line-up did change completely in 2009, and the members, although very experienced, didn’t have so much time to rehearse or to interact as useful parts of this Thrash-machine. Of course Jonas Kjellgren’s professional experience in the studio was of undeniable helpfulness, yet still…
Or: another bull’s eye hitter!

85/100

Ivan Tibos.